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Three candidates with broad experience compete for Polk County Commission job

The May 19 nonpartisan race for Polk County Commission seat No. 1 revolves around three candidates with vastly different experiences and agendas: incumbent Lyle Mordhorst, Terry Taylor and Danny Jaffer.

Mordhorst has been in the position since January 2019 after being appointed to the job when Jennifer Wheeler retired. He previously spent 35 years with the Les Schwab tire company.

“I have a year and a half of experience and I feel like I’ve made some great strides,” Mordhorst said. “I really enjoy the position because there’s challenges and something new every day. I’ve got a lot of projects and I want to be able to see them through to the end.”

Lyle Mordhorst(Photo: SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL)

Mordhorst has lived in West Salem since 1998 and is originally from a small town in Idaho. While in office, he has been involved in the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study and the Mid-Willamette Valley Area Commission on Transportation, which he says has helped him understand and connect with different transportation groups in the community.

“In your first year (in the position) you’re learning what the job is and then you start building relationships and start making a difference,” Mordhorst said. “I want to continue to complete all of the transportation issues, infrastructure, mental health, etc.”

He has been working with businesses and community members to help ensure the safety, resiliency and efficiency of the county, he said.

Terry Taylor is seeking election for the first time and is banking on his business acumen to help him sway voters. He has experience in project management, sales and technological management.

“The thing we’ve been missing for some time is someone with real, solid project management experience,” Taylor said. “I have 20 years of project management experience with three different Fortune 500 companies. With the economy going the direction that it is, we really need people that understand how to balance as well as reduce the budget.”

Terry Taylor(Photo: SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL)

Taylor believes his background in management and track record for finishing projects is what the county needs.

"We’ve been working on a third bridge in Polk County for 40 years and the only reason that project hasn’t happened is because lack of management,” Taylor said. “We really need someone that can bring people together, help them understand what the true values are in getting a project done, rather than postponing them.”

Taylor also wants to implement a program to help farmers.

“The average farmer is 58 years old and we don’t have a real easy way for people to get into farming,” Taylor said. "I think that we can put together programs that would have farmers help new people that get into farming do contracts on their farms and divide them up onto areas that would be reasonable for a new farmer to come in. Help them get started and help them by more blocks of their properties.”

Taylor came up short running for a Polk County commissioner position in 2018.

“We were 17 votes short of moving it to November,” Taylor said. “I still see the same needs and feel we can probably do better.”

This is the third time Danny Jaffer has run for the Polk County Commission. He's lived in the area his whole life, except when active duty military service took him overseas.

He advocates for improving transportation infrastructure.

“I see things throughout Polk County that don’t get done, or are not done the way that I’d like them to be, and I grew up here and have been involved in the community all my life,” Jaffer said. “I think we need more emphasis on highway and roadway safety, particularly for vehicles other than automobiles.”

Danny Jaffer(Photo: SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL)

Jaffer also wants to help protect clean air and provide water to farms, forest and vineyards. He also wants to create additional family-wage jobs in the rural community.

“I have a lot of leadership experience and have more recently been president of a water cooperative and served water to around 3,000 residents in the southern part of Polk County,” Jaffer said. “We do that at a very efficient cost.”

“I’ve been trying to get elected for a while and I think my experience, knowledge and desire to serve is something that can be valuable,” Jaffer said. “You’ve got to be humble enough to know when you’re wrong and be polite enough when you’re right.”

Lyle Mordhorst

Occupation: incumbent Polk County Commissioner No. 1

Work background: 35 years with Les Schwab, now retired

Education: Grangeville (Idaho) High School, 1975

Government experience: Polk County commissioner 2019 -present; West Salem Redevelopment Advisory Board 2006-12 and 2015-19; West Salem Edgewater study; West Salem Gateway study; West Salem Business District study; West Salem High School Education Foundation president 2002-03; West Salem Business Association board member 2006-present